Robots

It may be a while before robots take over the world, but they are growing smarter as they help and entertain us.

Yumi - Courtesy of ABB

The Pro

With its two arms YuMi could soon replace humans in factories, though the missing head leaves no doubt as to who is boss. This co-bot (collaborative robot) can help workers with particularly dangerous or challenging tasks.

ABB €40,000

The help

After Nao, the programmable humanoid for research and education, France’s Aldebaran Robotics has released Pepper, a personal robot able to read emotions and communicate with people.

SoftBank Mobile €1,500

The natural

Made of a wood body and limbs linked by elastic-band muscles, Cubebot was inspired by Japanese Kumi-ki puzzles. It comes in several sizes, all harmless.

Areaware €10 – €250

The best friend

Musio is probably the cutest robot on the block. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, AKA aims to deliver the first artificially intelligent robot. The more you talk to Musio, the smarter it gets. Will be shipped in June 2016 in two initial brain sizes: simple and smart.

AKA $99 – $299

The surrogate

Too busy to attend every meeting in your agenda?Double, an iPad-based robot, will be your “tele- presence”. It can walk around the office and allow you to chat with your colleagues by videolink from wherever you are.